Does this sound like a starter problem?
 

Hey guys, Ok past week or so the truck has been barely turning over. Assuming it was a pooched battery I went and bought a new one, charged it to the max and swapped it with the old one. Jumped in, turned the key, it hesistated for a second or two then very weakly turned over and started.
Confused, I went back to the battery shop and got the guy to test my old battery... it was fine. But with each time I start it it sounds closer and closer to not even being able to crank the flywheel anymore. Im gonna end up stranded anytime now.

SO my question is: Does this sound like a dying starter? When trying to start, it acts just like a cold morning or low battery, as it just hesitates and then barely rolls over.
I've never had a starter die this way before(if thats what it is), usually for me they just stop and start working intermittantly until they finally give out.

Any advice or input would be very helpful as Im ready to pull the starter tomorrow. Thanks :)

It could be bad cables. They could have corrosion inside causing too much resistance. Therefore causing the starter to turn slow. You could also have a bad connection at the terminals on the battery posts. I would check all your connections to make sure they are clean and tight too. Hope this helps.

Could be the cables as mentioned, where the ground meets the block, and check the terminals on the starter.

If those are fine, there is a decent chance that it's the starter. Only other thing would be mechanical resistance (engine locking up), but if its running fine then i bet that isn't it.

had one on a cop car this past week. battery was very good, but it would sound dead when it would start. swapped the starter, good as new. Ohm out your starter wire from battery to starter. 1.5 ohms max, usually, is a good wire. and as said, check your connections. if everything is good, i'd say starter.

Thanks boys. I'll check those connections and cables. Hopefully not mechanical resistance, but I dont think so cuz engine is in sound condition, as far as I can tell. Anyway, gonna pull the starter today and check it out. Thanks again!

Actually thats a pretty good amount of resistance you are recommending. I'd say .5ohms max personally. Regardless, the absolute best way to check a wire for its ability to carry current is to use a "voltage drop test". Resistance test, basically checks only for "continuity". You can have a 1 gauge wire, with a break in the middle...with only one little bitty copper strand holding. And you will get a good resistance/continuity reading. However if you were to check that with a voltage drop test, it will immediately tell you there is a problem in that wire by checking power in and out of it. You will see a good 11-12v drop between one end and the other end of the wire. Telling you it's practically open. Max voltage drop for a starter circuit would be about .5v.

Just reporting back that yep it was the starter. Put a new one in today and she fired right up beautifully!! Boy hearing the new one now I really notice the difference of how sickly the old one sounded and how weak it was.

Thanks for all the advice guys!!

I am having the same issue..felt like a dead battery it would crank for a second and bog down.. The battery was almost 6 years old..bought a new one and same thing.. Will check cables ..it has been raining a lot over the past month but It's always started up very quickly ..I will get a new starter if cleaning the cables doesn't work.

2011 Ranger XLT 4.0 196,500 miles.

Thanks !